So what does colour mean in Feng Shui?  You will likely get a different answer depending on which system of Feng Shui you subscribe to.

Modern Feng Shui tends to focus on ‘colour therapy’ such as having a red wall in the South or a white wall in the West.

Classical Feng Shui however uses colour to represent the Five Elements.  Much of Chinese Metaphysics is visual and this is why colours are part of the attributes associated with the Five Elements. In Classical Feng Shui consultations colour may be recommended in certain cases for specific solutions.  However it is introduced through objects such as cushions, rugs or pictures rather than on something that is more difficult to change, such as a wall or even a piece of furniture.  This means the items can be removed more easily.

Using colour as a general rule removes the personal aspect.  Consider.  Each person will react differently to a colour.  Some may love orange and someone else will dislike it with a passion.  Recommending painting a wall or placing orange objects in a particular location may therefore be a catalyst for discord between residents of a property.  Additionally your Gua number will identify which colours you may have more affinity with.  Are you naturally drawn to liking or wearing certain colours?

What then are the colours associated with the Five Elements?

Beginning with Wood there is Big Wood (Yang) and Small Wood (Yin).  They are Jia and Yi.  Big Wood is tall and majestic trees of which redwood, mountain ash and douglas fir are three.  They tower high above the forest floor seeking sunlight.  The Feng Shui colours attributed to Jia are Jade Green and Forest Green, the deeper and darker shades.  In contrast Yi the softer, more flexible penetrating Wood such as grass, ivy and flowers is lighter shades of Blue and Spring Green, the light and bright colours of springtime.

Fire follows in the productive cycle of the Five Elements and Yang Fire (Bing) is our Sun.  Yin Fire (Ding) is the dim and gentler penetrating light of a candle, torch or car headlight.  Yang Fire is red, orange and bright yellow, all the colours associated with the heat of Summer.  Yin Fire is pink and peach, the gentler shades generally associated with the feminine.

Earth is Yin, it represents the transition point between the seasons.  Big Earth (Wu) and Small Earth (Ji).  Wu is the Earth of the mountains, still and unmoving yet having so much influence on our lives.  Ji is the Earth beneath our feet, the soft and supple soil and sand .  The colours of Earth are brown, yellow and ochre yet in truth soil can encompass all colours, hence its influence in each of the Four Seasons.

Metal is Yang and Yin.  In its Yang form (Geng) it is raw Metal, machinery, axes and swords.  In its Yin form (Xin) it is small, shiny and beautiful crafted objects such as jewellery.  Metal colours are any of the precious Metals, platinum, gold and silver.  It is also steel.  As such its colours vary from white to grey and from bronze to copper.

Water, like Fire is both Yang and Yin at the same time.  It is Ren (the sea, gushing waterfalls and fast moving rivers) and it is Gui (mist, fog and rain).  Surprisingly the colours of Water are not azure blue or aqua but black and dark blue.  Water is deep and hides many secrets.  It absorbs yet is reluctant to reveal its hidden depths so the colours of Water are those of deep dark places where light is unable to penetrate.

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